Program Profile: Effects of Prison Video Visitation on Recidivism (Minnesota)

This program aims to reduce recidivism among Minnesota’s prison population by expanding the accessibility of visitation opportunities. The program is rated No Effects. There was no statistically significant effect on violence reconviction and technical violation revocations. The program had a statistically significant (small to moderate) impact on general revocations for any offense and reconvictions for felonies.

A No Effects rating implies that implementing the program is unlikely to result in the intended outcome(s) and may result in a negative outcome(s).

Program Goals/Program Theory

Social bond theory suggests that prison visitation may reduce reoffending by allowing individuals who are incarcerated to maintain personal connections with others in the community (Hirschi 1969). Barriers to in-person visitation can arise for many reasons, such as when potential visitors have to travel long distances, do not have reliable transportation, have difficulty traveling because of health or age, face issues related to attaining childcare, or for cost-related reasons (Duwe and McNeeley 2021). Video visitation can be a solution to some of the obstacles posed by in-person visits. Similar to Minnesota’s in-person Prison Visitation Program, the primary goal of the prison video visitation initiative is to reduce recidivism of individuals who are incarcerated in Minnesota prisons. The video visitation initiative increases the accessibility of visitation opportunities because visitors do not have to travel to the prison.

Program Components

To participate in video visitation in Minnesota, visitors must be on the visiting list of the person who is incarcerated. To be placed on a visiting list, individuals must submit an application and undergo a background check. Video visits must be scheduled in advance by the visitor, using an account through the vendor that provides the video visits.

Visitors may participate in a video visit from any location with high-speed internet connection and a computer with a camera and microphone. The person who is incarcerated participates in the visit from a kiosk located in their living unit. To engage in a video visitation, the individual who is incarcerated must have an account with the vendor. The kiosk schedule and availability vary by facility and living unit. Each video visit can last up to 30 minutes.

Although there is a maximum number of in-person visiting hours allowed per month, the Minnesota Department of Correction’s policy does not restrict the number of video visits an individual can receive, and video visits do not count toward the maximum in-person visiting hours per month.

Study 1

Duwe and McNeeley (2021) conducted a retrospective quasi-experimental design to assess the impact of video visitation on recidivism, using a sample of individuals released from Minnesota prisons from 2016 to 2018. Those in the treatment group (n = 885) received at least one video visit. Propensity score matching was used to individually match those who received video visits with individuals from the larger comparison group pool (approximately 19,983 individuals in prison). Those in the matched comparison group (n = 885) did not receive any video visits.

Individuals in the treatment group were on average 34 years old, and about half (48 percent) were white. Most participants in the treatment group were male (91 percent), unmarried (86 percent), and received in-person visits (79 percent). Similarly, individuals in the matched comparison group were on average 34 years old, and about half (49 percent) were white. Most participants were male (91 percent), unmarried (86 percent), and received in-person visits (80 percent). After matching, the two groups were also equal on several covariates such as criminal history and prison-based measures. There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups after matching.

The independent variable was receipt of video visits. Data on video visits were obtained from JPay, the vendor that provided video visits to those incarcerated in Minnesota prisons. The main outcome of interest was recidivism. Recidivism was defined as any of the following: 1) a reconviction for any offense, 2) a reconviction for a felony offense, 3) a reconviction for a violent offense, and 4) a revocation for a technical violation. The follow-up time for recidivism ranged from 2 to 5 years, with an average of 3.5 years. Recidivism data on convictions were obtained from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and revocations data were obtained from the Correctional Operations Management System database maintained by the Minnesota Department of Corrections. Cox regression models were used to estimate the effects of video visits on recidivism, accounting for propensity score and in-person visitation. The study did not conduct subgroup analyses.

These sources were used in the development of the program profile:

These sources were used in the development of the program profile:

Following are CrimeSolutions-rated programs that are related to this practice:

Prison Visitation for Incarcerated Adults

Prison visitation allows incarcerated individuals the opportunity to meet with family and friends to sustain connections and social supports. One of the main goals of prison visitation is to reduce recidivism of individuals once they are released from incarceration. The practice is rated Promising for reducing recidivism of individuals who receive visits while incarcerated.

Evidence Ratings for Outcomes

Crime & Delinquency - Multiple crime/offense types

Why might a practice's outcome ratings differ from the ratings of specific programs encompassed by that practice?